Sometimes life has a way of sending something from your past to inspire you. For Vicki Angotti, that happened about a year ago when Mike Hess handed her a clarinet, which, unbeknownst to him, was the instrument she played in band in high school. He challenged her to make some art form the instrument so he could auction it off for his non-profit, CHIRP.  

 

CHIRP is a project of the family of Robert D. Hess, in partnership with the West Virginia Young Musicians Fund, Harrison County Young Musicians Fund and Bandland.  The organization collect unused instruments, refurbish and repair them, and then place them in the hands of children who otherwise cannot afford to get their own instrument 

 

Fast forward one year and Angotti received a call from a band mom who wanted to give her daughter a commemorative gift for her band competition.  Starving Artist owner, Amanda Leaseburg, informed Angotti that there was an old saxophone in the basement she could use to create some pieces for the client.

 

Angotti then used her metal smith skills, artistic imagination, and Precious Metal Clay to create a variety of pieces featuring the saxophone keys. The client was thrilled. Angotti was inspired. CHIRP became a partner with Starving Artist Studios with a portion of each instrumental piece benefitting the organization. 

 

CHIRP has now donated a flute, piccolo, clarinet and saxophone in order for Angotti to create more instrument pieces for the collection. Using the keys and other parts of the instruments, she saws, grinds, polishes and accessorizes each piece into a unique piece of art or jewelry. She has enjoyed the design challenge and continues to be inspired by each instrument.

 

After posting some pictures of the initial designs, Angotti found that people were truly interested in unique pieces created by local artisans. By reusing and recycling old instruments into art, the partnership has proven to give new life to instruments that might otherwise just stay unusable and has given Angotti and other former band students a trip down memory lane.